Chester : Lotus to trial parts in Singapore practice

We are heading to Singapore, what are the main characteristics of Marina Bay?

There are many low speed corners, so good performance in these areas is key, as is stability on the brakes. Good turn-in and traction are important too at what is a fairly unique circuit.

How will the drivers compensate for the relative lack of track temperature in night running?

It will be down to the drivers to report back what the car is doing and let the engineers re-balance the car as the track temperature come down. With previous years’ experience we have a fair idea of what sort of adjustments we need to make.

What are your conclusions post-Monza?

We knew that it was going to be a tricky race for us and you could see some of that on the other cars which also struggled. We knew that with the drag level of our car on tracks like Monza it was going to be challenging, but actually on Sunday our race pace was better than expected. Pastor had a pretty decent race but with his qualifying position, it was always going to be difficult to make up a significant amount of places. However it was positive to see the race pace on Sunday.

Looking at the car set-up for Singapore, what are the key elements?

It is a high downforce track, so everybody will be running toward their maximum downforce set-up. Then it really is all about how you manage the mechanical set-up to get the best out of the car in terms of handling the kerbs. Ensuring a good level of grip in the low speed corners is also crucial at Marina Bay.

Is Singapore a torque management critical circuit?

In terms of energy management there is a lot of recovery on the brakes enabling you to recharge the battery quite nicely as there isn’t as much time full throttle as other tracks. It is probably more important to look after the car under braking here.

What are we expecting to see on the car for Singapore?

There will be some new bodywork parts and some new mechanical parts for this race that we will evaluate in the free practice sessions.

Do the changes in the track temperatures from day to night have a significant impact?

The temperature does fall quite a bit, changing the grip and balance of the car somewhat. As the track temperature comes down the grip difference front to rear can change and make it tricky to get the car balanced following the earlier hotter practice sessions.

Are there any particular challenges that the team face working at night and in the hot temperatures?

The team doesn’t seem to find it particularly difficult. In fact, we are finding it reasonably easy, as we stay on European time! Before the very first race there in 2008 we had long discussions on how to prepare for it, as it contrasts so much with any other venue. But in the end it was okay. Singapore is a very popular race on the calendar and everyone in the team always enjoys coming back to this fantastic venue. It has a very vibrant and unique atmosphere which the whole paddock seems to like.